Former soccer boss Molefi Oliphant spurned the chance to hire one of the best football coaches in the world and instead chose the inexperienced Joel Santana - allegedly without the approval of his executive committee.
Last year, outgoing Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was asked to compile a list of possible replacements. Parreira provided the SA Football Association with several names, including that of Luis Felipe Scolari.
Scolari, a 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil, was top of the 13-man list, which The Star has seen, followed by his compatriot Vanderlei Luxemburgo, but Safa instead hired Santana, who Parreira had placed fifth. Continues Below ↓
Allegations have emerged that Oliphant solely made the decision to employ Santana without referring the issue to the organisation's national executive committee (NEC).
'I didn't know Santana'
"We were surprised when we went into the NEC meeting, only to be told by Oliphant that a contract had already been signed with Santana. We were fuming," a high-ranking Safa official said yesterday.
Safa vice-president Mandla Mazibuko, who served under Oliphant in the previous executive, was not as restrained.
"It's well documented that Oliphant made an arrangement with Parreira to help find a new coach without discussing this with the executive. We were told at an executive meeting that we had to accept the decision to hire this guy," he said.
But Oliphant yesterday denied knowledge of the existence of the list and insisted that Parreira had given him only one name - that of Santana.
"I requested him to assist us to look for a coach who could take his mandate forward. He advised us to go for Joel Santana. I didn't know Santana, so how could I really have taken in someone I didn't know?"
Safa insisted yesterday Parreira was jumping the gun
Oliphant said Santana's name was then discussed by Safa's management committee, before being given to the executive committee.
"Once I as president had taken a decision, it became a collective decision. My management style was participatory."
Commenting on allegations that he had arrived at the executive committee when a contract had already been signed with Santana, Oliphant said: "I don't want to be dragged into these things, so I won't comment on that."
Santana's hiring was clearly a departure from Safa's employment of Parreira in 2006. Then Safa entrusted their technical committee with the task of interviewing suitable candidates.
Ted Dumitru, one of the men who served on that committee, said: "It came as a shock when suddenly we heard Santana had got the job after Parreira left. We would certainly have opposed his employment because, as he later proved, he was never suitable for this job."
In the CVs he compiled, Parreira made Santana's limitations clear. He wrote under the former Bafana coach's name: "Is in his mid-fifties; currently is the coach of Flamengo in Rio. Has coached all the top clubs and won the Rio State League; won the South America Cup with Vasco Da Gama; worked in Saudi Arabia and Japan."
Parreira, meanwhile, has told Brazilian media that he's ready to return for another stint at the helm of Bafana, who have plunged to number 85 in the world rankings.
But Safa insisted yesterday Parreira was jumping the gun.
"We have yet to speak to him, or any possible replacement. We have to wait for Friday's NEC meeting before taking a decision. Even if we identify someone, we can't confirm them before Friday's meeting," Mazibuko said.
Newly elected SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani looks ahead to the future of the national side
This article was originally published on page 1 of The Star on October 21, 2009
Showing page 1 of 4 comment pages, 35 total comments
4 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
Safa and Aron Mokoena are costing this country too much and we have been quite for long time now.The best way is not to support them during world cup we rather support other african countries that are commited to play soccer,we are tired of watching mickey mouse football everyday because of Safa and their captin so called Mbazo and this Mbazo is going to cost us again in a world cup.
4 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
What a mess. The country's football association has done absolutely nothing in 12 years of our freedom with regards to the development of a plethora of talent we have always had in this country. Each time the team predictably fails to perform, the coach gets fired. Are you telling me that all these coaches that were hired in the past ten years were inept and not good enough for the team? The question remains... Where have the millions in sponsorship money (that should have been invested in building the right structures for development) gone to?
4 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
Hunt should definitely be given the opportunity. His been the most succesful coach for the past few years. The top four clubs in the PSL should form the bulk of the squad hence i cant understand why such a few players from Supersport is represented like Dane Klate. His a prolific goal scorer and provider as well as consistent. Raymond Hack should be dismissed. His been a puppet and disgrace to our football including the previous regime of Khoza and Olifant.
4 Weeks ago Mad Cape Town wrote :
I think that all these idiots are missing the point here... It doesn't matter who we get as the coach of Bafana the problems will still be there...The coach employed needs the full backing of SAFA on all his decisions and no meddling in choosing players... Also they need to look at all those pre-madonnas in Bafana team that call themselves football stars !! What a joke ! Look at people like Drogba for Ivory Coast...He is a true African Superstar and yet he plays his heart out for his team and acts with humility with his national coach and team members..
4 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
South Africa let's not follow the foot steps of black leopards ,who were just firring a coach every 3mounth let's first check the problem and trie to solve it ,because every one can see that our players are the problem not the coach
4 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
we need a fresh start, new local coach and players, and the selection of players must be according to the current form not recent form, we need players who can really see the net now, players like Calvin Kadi
4 Weeks ago Frykyta wrote :
Molefi should be arrested for defeating the ends of justice. We need Jabu Pule and Mabizela and they should be arrested by the defence force and the two need to be trained by Augusto Palicious in prison under guard. To hell with Perreira. We should hire Gavin Hunt and Pitso as his assistant. Ferreira from Ajax Cape Town should be adopted to South Africa and Play. Time is running out.
4 Weeks ago SAFA idiots wrote :
strange enough everyone has been screaming Santana this Santana that....this guy as clue-less as he is on International soccer, ddnt hire himself. Ppl who hired him have to tell the nation of what they saw in him and why the technical committee (that hired Carlos) was not involved in hiring his replacement....Since Oliphant took over from Bra Stix, SA has been on a down-ward spiral...but his corrupt friends have made him a Life President of SAFA (more like saying, thank you for screwing our football, here are life-time benefits as a gesture of our appreciation for the mess u've created)....then you have Raymond Hack...can't even count the number of mess-ups he has done, from sending a Mandela Challenge to England, flying to Brazil to sign "Rubberface" Santana, sending Orlando Pirates juniors as SAFA junior team...the list is end-less..but he is still enjoying the benefits of SA soccer...so at the end, Santana is gone but the rotten potatoes that created him are still there...how I wish that we had a Sport Minister with a bit of a clue about soccer.....
4 Weeks ago Proudly Souf Efriken wrote :
Come on guys - look on the bright side. This is yet another shining example of South Africa's global leadership in a niche area, i.e. participatory ('I'm in for what I can get out') managemunt. All thanks to the ANC and its visionary cadre deployment policy (aka 'your turn to feed at the trough of plenty').
4 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
Forget about Bafana Bafana, we just need to ensure South Africa hosts the best world cup in the history of football!!!
Social bookmarking allows users to save and categorise a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others. This is different to using your own browser bookmarks which are available using the menus within your web browser.
Use the links below to share this article on the social bookmarking site of your choice.